Brad Bird to Direct Disney’s Large-Scale Mystery Film 1952, Written by Damon Lindelof

Well this is news that’s sure to please the cinephile/nerd/geek community. Last year, Lost co-creator and Prometheus scribe Damon Lindelof was tapped by Disney to pen a large-scale mystery film for Disney. The project was shrouded in secrecy, and we still know nothing about the plot other than the fact that it may or may not be in the sci-fi genre and it’s called 1952. Now it appears that The Incredibles and The Iron Giant director Brad Bird, who made an extremely successful live-action debut with last year’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, is coming onboard to direct. Hit the jump for more.

Per Deadline, Bird has been set to direct the film and the Mouse House hopes to make 1952 the director’s next project. The plan is for the pic to go into production next year after a long prep, with Lindelof producing. The Lost co-creator/showrunner is currently working on the script alongside Jeff Jensen. It isn’t made clear in the report, but this may be the same Jeff Jensen who writes for Entertainment Weekly and ran an incredibly in-depth (and insightful) Lost column under the name “Doc Jensen” throughout the show’s run.

Bird proved that he’s just as talented with live-action as he is with animation on the supremely entertaining Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and this project sounds like a marriage made in nerd heaven. Interestingly, Bird has long been developing a film called 1906 which centers on the historical San Francisco earthquake, but turning the event into a tight narrative feature film (with a manageable budget) has proved difficult.

The director is likely fielding a number off offers coming off of Ghost Protocol, but I find it hard to imagine that he wouldn’t make 1952 his next film. He’s already stated that he’s unlikely to return for the next Mission: Impossible film given that the series benefits from a revolving director’s chair, and he’s got a fine relationship with Disney. Moreover, Lindelof is coming off of immense buzz for his work on Prometheus—not to mention the Star Trek sequel currently in production. Make it so, Bird!